Mozart and Reutter's Works--K93, K93a, K91, and a Mass in C
The Mozart "De profundis clamaiva" K93 has been of interest here of late. I have compiled the history of this piece, and then added information on 3 other pieces with connections to Carl Georg Reutter (1708 - 1772).
The Psalm "De profundis clamaiva" (Psalm 129) in c-minor for 4 voices and organ in Mozart's handwriting is preserved in the manuscript in the British Museum that carries the remark by Georg von Nissen "By Mozart and his handwriting". The manuscript consists of 2 pages with 4 written on sides, with the clear indication "Violin 1st and 2nd left empty". Köchel entered the De profundis in K1 as K93 in the year 1770 in Salzburg, based on a remark from a copy from André's Catalogue of 1837 "the original 1770 preserved H.v. Amiens [Herr von Guyancourt in Amiens] 1803", as an authentic Mozart work, and in 1880 it was published in the AMA. In an 1888 book Hermann Kretzschmar wrote "in southern Germany occasionally can still a Mozart arrangement of the De profundis be heard, a youthful often simple declamation composition". Anton Bruckner valued Mozart's "De profundis", and had a full score copy made for himself.
Wyzewsa/St. Foix in 1912 undertook an assessment of the Psalm and dated it between April and August 1771 in Salzburg. Einstein in K3 moved the dating to "summer 1771", but did not need to change the number. Because the 2 violin staffs were left empty, Einstein felt the work "did not belong to the completed works". In his 1947 book Einstein wrote on the similarity to a Gluck composition: "Mozart originally intended to lend the work a soft instrumental sheen by having two violins, but he discarded them, perhaps deliberately. There is a setting of the same Psalm from Gluck's last period, also for 4 voices, but with a powerful, dark orchestral accompaniment; it seems to me however that the lad far surpassed the old giant, if the highest art consists in expressing the most profound things with the simplest means".
In 1954 Karl Pfannhauser showed the Mozart manuscript is actually a continuo reduction of the De profundis of Carl Georg Reutter (1708 - 1772) that in its complete setting was written for 4 voices, 2 violins, bass and organ. Pfannhauser believed the Mozart copy could only be traced back to a Vienna stay, most likely that of 1768, as Mozart under guidance of his father was becoming acquainted with the style of church music in Vienna.
K6 placed the piece in the Anhang A section, "Mozart's Copies of Other Composer's works", as K.Anh A22.
NMA watermarks show the paper as that Mozart used in Vienna from around December 1787 to early 1790 [Tyson NMA Watermark #95].
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Other manuscripts with ties to Reutter:
In a letter to Breitkopf & Härtel of March 1, 1800, Constanze Mozart summarized the music fragments of her deceased husband. Under the number IX of the 'Singmusik' was cited: "An incomplete Psalm: Memento domine David [Psalm 131], 4 voices; 32 measures in F-major". In his 1828 biography Nissen listed the same in the appendix under the fragments. In K1 Köchel put the fragment in the Anhang under "Incomplete Compositions", without any theme indication, numbering it Anh 22. In her 1926 dissertation on Mozart fragments, Mena Blaschitz believed the composition originated in 1777. Einstein in K3 placed the fragment in "Summer 1771 in Salzburg", giving it the number K93a, believing it belonged in the close vicinity of K93.
The manuscript is in the Salzburg Mozarteum (1 page written on both sides). Like K93 the staffs for the 2 Violins are not written on.
In the same 1954 Acta Mozartiana article discussed above Karl Pfannhauser showed this was a study sketch of the Psalm "Memento Domine David" for 4 voices, 2 violins, bass and organ of Reutter. Reutter's entire composition comprised 137 measures. Pfannhauser also dated the Mozart manuscript as the same time as K93. Pfannhauser had found both the original compositions of Reutter of the Psalms "De profundis" and "Memento" are found in manuscript parts in the former holdings of the Vienna Court Capelle with the year "1757". The compositions were also found in catalogues in the Austrian National Library in Vienna, another originally for the "daily use of the Court Capellmeister Antonio Salieri", and an additional set of parts in the church music archives of the old orphanage in Vienna, attributed to Reutter. K6 shifted the piece to the Anhang section as Anh A23.
I know of no recording of this piece.
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In 1983 Monika Holl published a report on more Mozart copies and reported the Kyrie in D-major K91 is also a composition of Reutter. This Kyrie is from Reutter's Mass in D-Major (Hoffer Nr.80), but not from the beginning but the fugual closing section of the Kyrie. In the material of the Court Capelle in the Music collection of the Austrian National Library could also be found in the manuscript catalogue (number MK 756) the complete model for Mozart's copy.
Aloys Fuchs possessed the Mozart autograph--supposedly finished by Süssmayr he believed--and had it copied, believing that the writing could not be the beginning of the composition and wrote on his copy "in this Kyrie there appeared to be a short movement before it--(which is lost)--that might have been attached to the Fugue...". So even though it was seen as a fragment, there was no reason to doubt its authenticity. The pieces was included in a supplemental volume of the AMA in 1880.
In K3 Einstein first of all determined this composition was identical to the Kyrie listed in Nissen's appendix and catalogued by Köchel under Anhang 17. Wyzsewa/St. Foix placed the Kyrie in the years 1779 or 1780, but Einstein in K3 rejected this as merely an approximation, believing it rather originated in connection to studies of Michael and Joseph Haydn[!?]. He placed it in connection to the Missa brevis K194, dated August 8, 1774 (renumbering the Kyrie K186i). K6 only repeated Einstein's statements.
In 1982 the manuscript was purchased in an auction in Stargardt and is now in private possession in Germany. The manuscript proves to be on a folded double sheet for "Violini", Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass, Organ, with 32 measures (originally only 22 by Mozart) of the Kyrie Fugue of Reutter. The composition was finished with 10 measures by Abbe Maximilian Stadler (not Süssmayr as Fuchs believed).
Wolfgang Plath inspected the manuscript and concluded from the handwriting it was from Mozart's later Vienna years. Tyson's watermark studies showed paper used by Mozart from December 1787 to February 1789 [#95]. It appeared Mozart was occupied intensively with church music at this time as also the Kyrie K323, the Gloria Anh 20/323a, and the Kyrie fragments K.Anh 16/196c and K.Anh 14/442a are on this paper type. Unlike these compositions, which all required some type of wind setting, in K91/186i Mozart set the violins on one line and omitted violas altogether. As Mozart would not set a Mass at this time with only a string accompaniment, it was obviously the copy of a work of another composer. We also know Mozart was interested in works of other composers from a letter to Salzburg of August 2, 1788, requesting Michael Haydn's "two tutti Masses and the Gradule" for performances at Baron van Swieten's.
Reutter's Mass called for Violins, Violas, Cello, Oboe, Bassoon, 4 Trumpets, 2 Trombones, Timpani and Organ, and double choruses. The Kyrie is composed for 4-part mixed chorus; oboes and trombones double the 3 upper voices of the chorus and bassoon and cello with the basses. It appears Timpani and Trumpets were to be ad-lib. Reutter also divided the violas to strengthen the Alto and Tenor, and of course used violins. This meant Mozart had taken the complete musical substance of the composition in only 6 music staffs. Reutter's Kyrie comprised 87 measures. The fugual part of Reutter's is considerably longer than Mozart's, continuing 29 measures past where Mozart stopped.
Why did Mozart write down these measures of Reutter's composition? Traditionally it was believed Mozart did not concern himself with church music in Vienna in the later 1780s. Recently it has been shown this was probably not the case. Could he have copied this piece (and the others by Reutter) for stimulation or an example. Perhaps he heard Reutter's Mass at a service or a rehearsal, and then copied from a set of parts. On the cover of the above mentioned HK 759 it is shown between 1782 and 1792 the Mass was performed 13 times by court capelle. In 1788 it was heard on Monday, September 8 and then at the High Mass on Christmas. Most likely September 8 would be more likely for Mozart to have heard it, for in theory on this day the two Psalms could also have been heard. Of course Reutter's works were surely heard in other churches in Vienna at the time, but many details in Mozart's copy correspond to parts from the material of the court capelle.
In an article in 1991 Daniel Beller-McKenna compared Mozart's Kyrie fragments. Discussing the Mozart copy of K91/186i he believed Mozart copied it to find how Reutter addressed the issue of variety in writing a fugue with such strong harmonic and contrapunctual implications. Beller-McKenna believed there was no direct connection between Reutter's fugue and Mozart's other Kyrie fragments. He concluded the Kyrie fragments and Mozart's Reutter copies indicate Mozart "was exploring a number of different church styles and issues of composition related to those styles in the late 1780s; Mozart's own diversity is merely a reflection of church music in Vienna at the time".
Numerous recordings exist of this piece.
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Another manuscript with Mozart-Reutter ties is in the 'Catalogus Musicalis' of the Salzburg Cathedral of 1788. Among the compositions in the volumes are 6 Masses by Reutter. In the Mass III in C-major the parts are written out by copyists (one being Maximilian Raab), however the word text is written by Leopold Mozart. Leopold also entered corrections in the organ part. More important to us is an additional sheet on which the music of the Timpani parts and 3 tempo indications in the Mass are in Wolfgang Mozart's hand. The paper has watermarks either dating from around 1774 in Salzburg (Tyson-NMA #33) or 1779 to beginning 1781 in Salzburg (Tyson-NMA #51).
I know of no recording of any Reutter Mass.
Dennis Pajot
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